Surprise wedding: Engagement party and Wedding in One

We're having a nice surprise party wedding next week. The couple have asked their friends and family to dinner to celebrate their engagement, and then I'm going to make an appearance after the cocktails, and ask the couple to come forward -- and we'll have a wedding, instead of just a party. Only two people are in on the plan, and it should be a wonderful family event. The ceremony will be simple, they have bought a simple pair of rings, and we'll be sure to have a camera ready.

We've done this before, and it's always wonderful. Get your license a few days ahead, have a plan for pictures, a special dessert, glasses for toasting, and lots of hugs. They are going to ask their mothers to hold their rings, after they announce the plan, and their sibling/dad will sign the license. I think it will be memorable.

Weddings on Red Hook Pier in Brooklyn

When you're filling out the Parks permit, the NAME of the park on the pier in Red Hook is: Valentino Pier, named in honor of firefighter and Parks lifeguard Louis J. Valentino, Jr. (1958 – 1996). Valentino lost his life while searching for wounded firefighters in a three-alarm blaze in an illegal Flatlands garage.

New York Honeymoon Apartment - plus wedding!

Want to avoid hotels? My friend Dixie now has an apartment available for honeymoons - and she'll throw in a wedding & marriage officiant. Here's her suggestion: Obtain Marriage License on Friday; Wedding Ceremony on Saturday or Sunday; enjoy your New York stay in a beautiful balcony apartment overlooking the Statue of Liberty! She's got lots of lovely parks close by with great views for a wedding. If you want to know more, drop me an email at info@weddingsofnewyork.com and I'll pass it on to her. Our friend KC also has a photography package to offer and a limo and hair and makeup available.

Sunrise Wedding on the Brooklyn Bridge

PHOTO: Becky Holladay.
We had a lovely wedding at 6am on the Brooklyn Bridge - and then a marvellous wedding breakfast. There are a surprising number of joggers and bicyclists at 6 in the morning (stay on the pedestrian side of the walkway!) and it's quite noisy with traffic underneath, but you can't beat the view :-) See Becky's Wedding Photograaphy

Wedding Locations Hipster Alert - Brooklyn's East River Park concerts

After a week of fun Hipster weddings in Williamsburg, I noticed today that Brooklyn's East River State Park, which we had just adopted as a 'post-industrial urban setting with grass and City Views', has now become the new concert venue for the displaced McCarren Pool concerts. This article from the NYTimes lists the OTHER concert venues this summer, including Governor's Island, the South Street Seaport, Central Park, etc.

So if you're planning a quiet wedding - check the concert schedules first!

(and yes, I broke down, and we DID have a lovely quick HighLine wedding yesterday. Ah, it was fun, despite the crowds. Pix soon)